Colusa Police officers pull man from overturned car in canal

Two Colusa Police officers pulled a 60-year-old Maxwell man from an overturned pickup in an irrigation ditch on Maxwell-Colusa Road last Wednesday, saving his life.

According to the California Highway Patrol, at around 1:05 AM, the man – identified as Gerald R. Wells – was driving his 2009 Chevy pickup on westbound Maxwell Road, west of Highway 45, at an unknown speed, when he allowed his vehicle to veer off the south roadway edge. The pickup went down an embankment and overturned into the irrigation ditch, and the cabin of the vehicle became submerged in water.

A passing motorist stopped when they saw the truck in the canal, and told a dispatcher that they could hear someone trapped inside. Colusa Police Officer David Jackson was the first to arrive on scene, followed closely by Sgt. Jarrod Hughes. The two removed some of their equipment and jumped into the canal to save the man. Jackson broke one of the pickup’s windows, and the two officers were able to remove Wells from it.

“Officer Jackson and Sgt. Hughes did a good job with that,” Senior Sgt. Eldon Tamez said.
CHP arrived on scene and took over the investigation, at which point they determined that Wells was driving under the influence of alcohol. Wells was taken to the Colusa Medical Center, where he was treated for scrapes and cuts.

Brian Pearson is the Managing Editor & Reporter for the Williams Pioneer Review. Brian joined the Williams Pioneer Review in June 2016 and is committed to bringing hyperlocal news to its readers. A few of his projects include reporting on local government and the newly feature sports page. To contact Brian about this article, or for future articles, please email him at brian@colusacountynews.net

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